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Stanford Handles No. 11 Oregon In Three Sets

Stanford, Calif. - Sophomore Alix Klineman and senior Cynthia Barboza combined for 28 kills, and the Stanford women's volleyball team made a sweep of the nation's 11th-ranked team look easy. The Cardinal (11-2, 2-0 Pac-10) hit nearly .400 and claimed a 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 victory over Oregon tonight at Maples Pavilion. The Ducks, who posted the best non-conference record in the conference, drop to 11-3 overall and 0-2 in Pac-10 play.

Klineman led the team with 15 kills, with nearly half of those coming in the clinching third set. Barboza remained hot and, after hitting .462 in each of the last two matches, turned in a season-best .545 clip with 13 kills on 22 swings.

Senior Foluke Akinradewo added seven kills and three blocks. With a solo block in the first set, the middle blocker moved up a notch to sixth place on the Stanford career blocks chart, and now has 462 for her career.

Oregon started fast, catching Stanford off guard to take the first four points of the opening set. Stanford used the next four points to level things, however, tying at four on Cynthia Barboza's first kill of the match. Stanford took its first lead at 6-5 on a block by Foluke Akinradewo and Cassidy Lichtman, then worked to stay in front. The set went into seven ties before Stanford took over for good on an Akinradewo kill at 16-15. The senior pounded an overpass on the next point to extend the margin even more, and an Oregon attack error at 21-18 gave Stanford more of a cushion. The Cardinal took set point on a solo block by Akinradewo at 24-19, and the set ended when the Ducks were in the net on a Klineman swing, 25-21. Klineman led Stanford with five kills in the first set, and Stanford outhit Oregon .324 to .190.

The second set was close early, going into four ties before Barboza helped Stanford string together a 5-1 run and take a 9-6 lead. The Ducks managed to come back and tie at 10, but Stanford refused to let them take the lead. Akinradewo pounded two kills to fuel another 5-1 run that made it 16-12 shortly after the media timeout. Oregon wouldn't relent, and battled back within one twice, with the last coming at 18-17 on a kill by Kristen Forristall. Back-to-back swings by Lichtmand and Jessica Fishburn pushed the lead back to three at 20-17, and Stanford took set point at 24-20 on Klineman's seventh rip of the night. Oregon got two points back, but Klineman pounded another ball to the floor to seal the win, 25-22. Barboza had six of her 13 kills in the second set alone, and Stanford outhit Oregon, .343 to .238.

Oregon held a lead briefly in the third set, but a three-point spurt capped by a Klineman kill gave Stanford the lead at 6-5. The Cardinal built the lead to two on a hitting error at 8-6, and three on Erin Waller's fifth kill at 11-8. Stanford held tight, and for the third straight set, the home team held a 15-12 advantage at the media break. The Ducks fought back to tie shortly after the timeout, however, locking the score at 17 on a kill by Heather Meyers. After another tie at 18, Klineman caught fire in the back row, and slammed two kills to the floor in a three-point span to force an Oregon timeout at 21-18. Stanford took set point on a Barboza kill at 24-20, and Okogbaa fired home the winner on the next point, 25-20. Klineman and Barboza teamed up for 13 kills in the final set, and Stanford hit at its best clip yet (.474) while holding Oregon to just .256.

Stanford heads to Washington next weekend to continue Pac-10 play against the Washington State Cougars and the Washington Huskies. The Cardinal will play the Cougars at 7 p.m. Friday night in Pullman, then will meet the No. 9 Huskies in a televised match at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday in Seattle.